As death tolls climbed toward 10,000 and flood waters swept away homes, roads, bridges and livelihoods last month, Hondurans saw their church connections become a lifeline sent by God.

Hurricane Mitch forced leaders throughout the country to beg support wherever they could find it. Frequently, the most generous and spontaneous responses came from the church. In the Episcopal Church, Bishop Leo Frade tapped every source he could think of, spending hours each day sending appeals and updates over the internet (see separate story). The response has been overwhelming.

From across the United States, from Britain, from Mexico, from dioceses around the communion, money and medicine, tools, clothing, food and prayers have started arriving.

"When we faced our reality of death and destruction, we prayed and asked for help," Frade said. "When it began to arrive it gave us joy, and hope ... our desperation turned into excitement and relief ... we knew we would be able to make a difference."

They have already started. The country's vice-president and a cabinet minister in charge of emergency response has asked the Episcopal Church "to minister spiritually in the many refugee shelters of our area," Frade reports in a plea for prayers. "We have assembled the Lord's Squad formed by the laity, deacons and priests of the area...[to care] for the thousands of people that are now without hope and that have lost everything... this is a unique opportunity to reach thousands in their time of need."

The task before them is immense.

2 million homeless

With 70 percent of the country's infrastructure wiped out, almost 2 million made homeless, two-thirds of the nation's crops destroyed, rebuilding may take decades. Development has been set back 50 years, says President Carlos Roberto Flores.

Some dangers are immediate. Floods destroyed food warehouses, washed out latrines, overwhelmed the sewer systems. With little potable water, the risk of cholera grows daily. Without immediate help, epidemics and famine could be next.

"Honduras is mortally wounded," said President Flores in a national address. "We have before us a panorama of death."

With thousands driven from their homes, the nation's schools and churches have become refugee shelters. By the first weekend of November, nine Episcopal churches were already makeshift shelters. The Episcopal Cathedral complex in San Pedro Sula housed 200- 250 people at the height of the storm, including all the abused and abandoned girls from Our Little Roses Orphanage.

By Nov. 3rd, Frade knew that "35 of our 65 churches are destroyed or damaged." One had been washed away entirely with its surrounding neighborhood.

'God has not abandoned us'

"Honduras is devastated and in pain," wrote Frade early in the crisis, "the Anglicans of Honduras are mourning and in rags. [Yet] we know that God has not abandoned us."

They knew it in large part because of actions of fellow church members.

Boys from the diocese's technical institute and agricultural school became the heroes who shoveled mud out of the homes of the elderly and infirm. Girls from Little Roses, refugees themselves for a few terrifying days, returned home to sort through their remaining clothing so they could give them away to those who had lost everything.

"The young people of Honduras give us hope to go ahead," wrote Frade in an appeal to the youth of the Anglican Communion. He hopes they will send help to their counterparts in Central America. (See 'How you can help' below.)

Churches come through

Before the storm had even subsided, dioceses , mission organizations and the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief began their response. They sent money, issued appeals, organized container shipments, gathered supplies and kept in touch by fax, e-mail and cellular phone.

The PB Fund committed the first $69,000 in emergency aid while the eye of the hurricane still hovered over southern Honduras.

In the Diocese of Central Florida, one of Honduras' two companion dioceses, Bishop John Howe sent $25,000 and then directed the Thanksgiving Offering to the recovery effort, too.

In the Diocese of Texas, the Episcopal Foundation sent $30,000.

In the Diocese of Washington, Honduras' other "companion", offers to help became so overwhelming that Rachel Hill of the Companion Diocese Program had to record a special message on her answering machine. Bishop Ronald Haines sent $50,000 immediately and also organized a special Honduras Relief Fund.

In the Diocese of New York, the bishops issued an emergency appeal and requested special collections be taken on Nov. 8 and 15 for emergency relief.

A joint effort by SAMS (South American Missionary Society) and Episcopalians in Mississippi, Wyoming and Florida made arrangements with the Dole company to ship a container full of relief supplies and non-perishable foods. It was scheduled to leave Nov. 12.

"We have seen the Lord in action," said Frade as the reports came in, "working through the people called to serve."

Frade has also seen the Lord in action directly.

The miracle of the rock

During the worst of the rains and flooding, after a wealthy neighbor with a backhoe and some threatened property diverted the river overflow toward the cathedral wall, Frade and the refugees at the cathedral in San Pedro Sula thought their sanctuary was about to go.

"The water began to hit and it was high. It began to -- is there such a word as succovate? -- undermine and eat the ground."

A huge hole developed. The land began to cave in.

"This was it," said Frade. The hydroelectric plant was about to release the water behind its dam to relieve the pressure.

Those at the cathedral were prepared to climb onto the roof to stay out of rushing flood. The Fire Department came by, determined that the wall wouldn't hold, advised them to leave before the whole structure collapsed.

"So we just said 'We need to pray.' I sent it out on the internet: 'Just pray!'"

They prayed.

Their friends prayed.

"It worked! The water subsided," wrote a jubilant Frade later.

But there remained a mystery. How had the wall survived?

"I know that we prayed, but how did it happen?" Frade turned to an engineer friend taking refuge with him. "I'd like this miracle explained please."

The engineer confessed he'd been mystified himself and so had crawled down inside the structure to get a look at the hole.

"You will not believe me," he told Frade, "but this rock that came down with the rushing waters came straight to the hole and plugged it."

Frade counts it a miracle. "God put his finger there ... sent a rock."

"It saved lives. It saved our property. I have never been so scared in my life... to die together with that many people ...

"I call it a miracle."

How you can help

To help Honduras or the other countries of Central America, send donations to the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, designating that they are for the relief effort. To send direct contributions of clothing, food, supplies, medicines, tools, utensils and the like to Honduras, contact the South American Missionary Society at 724-266-0669 or Trinity Church, Pass Christian, Miss. at 228-452-4563, those who organized the container shipment. Youth who want to respond to the Challenge to Youth, contact Bishop Frade directly by e-mail at frade@mayanet.hn.